Operation Greenhouse. Scientific Director's Report of Atomic Weapon Tests at Eniwetok, 1951. Annex 1.2, Delayed Gamma-Ray Measurements. Part 1. Gamma-Ray Spectrum Measurements (Abridged)

Abstract

The measurement of bomb efficiencies from the number of gamma rays requires fundamentally two separate experiments. The average number of gamma rays emitted from the fission fragments (delayed gamma rays) per fission must be determined. This experiment can be carried out in the laboratory, a second experiment, the absolute determination of the number of gamma rays from the bomb are also attempted. Because gamma rays are not directly observable but are measured only through their secondary effects, and because the probability of occurrence of the secondary effects depends upon the gamma ray energy, it is not usually possible to count directly the number of gamma rays in a heterochromatic spectrum. A spectral distribution must be first obtained from which the actual total number of gamma rays may be computed. This volume discusses the planning for the experiment and the spectral distribution of collimated gamma rays determined from the Greenhouse tests on two shots. A discussion of measurement of build-up factor which is needed to estimate the effect of collimation is also given.